Another day in the Montreal bike lane saga. This time, a weird development.<\/p>\n
Montreal has officially put a planned R\u00e9seau express v\u00e9lo (REV) extension on hold, reversing course days after mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada dismissed reports the project had stalled, according to the Montreal Gazette<\/a>.<\/p>\n The delay centres on a missing piece. It was how cyclists would safely cross Highway 40 along Lacordaire Blvd., a key link between Montr\u00e9al-Nord and St-L\u00e9onard.<\/p>\n City officials say that question needs an answer before anything moves forward. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to spend $30 million to put bike paths in the middle of nowhere and without having a safe, secure access to get to the other side,\u201d Alan DeSousa said<\/a> at city hall.<\/p>\n Cyclists greatly concerned<\/p>\n Local cycling advocates<\/a> are, as you can imagine, extremely concerned. \u201cIt\u2019s an enormous loss if they don\u2019t do it. We have no other options,\u201d Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Gagn\u00e9 of the Association pour la mobilit\u00e9 s\u00e9curitaire de Montr\u00e9al-Nord, said<\/a>.<\/p>\n He also pointed to frustration among those who have worked on the project for years. \u201cThere are people working on these projects, people who invest their time and energy, and then, at the last minute, they get called off,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels a bit like we\u2019re being laughed at.\u201d<\/p>\n At the centre of the impasse is the Lacordaire overpass. Quebec\u2019s transport ministry is preparing major repair work, but those plans don\u2019t include space for a bike path. The province maintains that roadway configuration, including adding cycling infrastructure, falls under the city\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n New mayor vs. previous<\/p>\n This is hardly the first anti-bike lane development in the city. Following nearly a decade of expansion under previous mayor Val\u00e9rie Plante, things took a very different direction after mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada was elected. In fact, Plante was even concerned that some of her work building cycling infrastructure\u2013not just bike lanes, but things like increasing bike share numbers, having them available during the winter, and more, might come under threat.<\/p>\n Martinez Ferrada, along with her party Ensemble Montr\u00e9al, now dominates most of local council. And one of its big mandates is scrutinizing or even seemingly kiboshing present or future projects<\/a>. Cyclists in Montreal have been vocal about these moves, in the media as well as demonstrations.<\/p>\n Montreal says it pushed to have a bike lane included in the provincial work, but without success. Discussions are expected to continue, though for now, the REV extension, once slated for 2027, is effectively on ice.<\/p>\n Asked about the reports last week, mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said she was disappointed to once again see \u201cdisinformation\u201d about the city\u2019s bike network circulating online.<\/p>\n